Warhawks top nation in football attendance

November 21, 2014

No venue in Division III football attracted more fans per game in the 2014 regular season than Perkins Stadium at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

On average, the defending national champion Warhawks played in front of 9,426 fans — more than 5,000 people per game higher than their closest conference opponent.

"It's definitely an advantage," said Brady Grayvold, a senior defensive back from Norway, Mich. "This year we got to travel all over the country. When you go to another place and see how they do it, and then you see how we do it, I don't think there's any comparison."

From purple-clad tailgaters to cannon blasts that punctuate Warhawk touchdowns, the gameday atmosphere at Perkins Stadium is electric. It makes for a strong home-field advantage, Grayvold said.

"It has to be imposing if you're a visiting team to see a parking lot full of people dressed in purple tailgating as you're walking into the locker room," he said. "The tradition has been consistent for so long that people who graduated come back and remember Pound the Rock, the cannon and what UW-Whitewater football is all about."

On Oct. 25, UW-Whitewater set the single-game conference attendance record when 13,627 people packed Perkins Stadium to watch the Warhawks defeat the UW-Oshkosh Titans on Homecoming.

"The fan support of our football program is second to none at the Division III level," said Amy Edmonds, director of intercollegiate athletics. "Our students, faculty and staff, family and friends, alumni and community members make the atmosphere at Perkins Stadium one of the best in the nation. Our fans' dedication to supporting our tradition, as well as carrying out their own gameday traditions, makes us proud to be Warhawks."

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UNIVERSITY	Avg. Attendance	Home games	Total Attendance
1. UW-Whitewater	9,426	4	37,704
2. St. John's	8,775	5	43,877
3. Hampden-Sydney	7,252	5	36,262
4. Mount Union	5,744	4	22,975
13. UW-Platteville	4,217	5	21,085
20. UW-Eau Claire	3,509	5	17,544

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UW-Whitewater has won five NCAA Division III national championships in the last seven years and boasts 34 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships. Their current 27-game winning streak is the longest in all of college football, regardless of division.

The Warhawks (10-0) will look to continue their success when they host Macalester College (9-1) at noon on Saturday, Nov. 22, in the first round of the playoffs. GAMEDAY >>